Some of you have called customer service and have spoken to Ken, my younger and only brother. As such, he is quite knowledgeable of the PPGS. Ken was a plus handicap golfer in his junior and college days and won many amateur tournaments. When I was the Head Professional at Pinetree CC in Kennesaw, Georgia in the early 80s, Ken came to work for me in the golf shop. He turned pro and entered the PGA Apprentice program. He won the Georgia PGA Assistants Match Play Championship for his only professional win. That is because after 3 years he decided being a club pro was not his career and went back to college and got his degree in Accounting. He was reinstated back as an amateur by the USGA in 1987.
Ken knows the PPGS as well as any of my head instructors, and with that knowledge and accounting, I asked him to come to work for PeakPerformanceGolfSwing.com.
What I also know is that Ken is a wizard with the putting wand and a short game genius. He definitely is the player that the adage for putting and short game describes when saying, 'He can get it up and down of a garbage can with the cover on.' He has helped me with my putting stroke and short game as well as DJ,s. As far as the Trahan family is concerned, he is #1 in both putting and short game. DJ and I battle it out for ball striking, but I am #1 in that department and DJ is a close second and catching up. I will add that if I could have putted as well as Ken coupled with my ball striking, I could now be playing on the Champions Tour. I think I can also say that if DJ starts putting as well as 'Uncle Kenny,' he will have a lot more than two PGA Tour Championship trophies on his mantle.
I am sure many of you know that I have a student, Jack Moore also helping me and DJ with our putting and short game. Jack is another wizard with the wand and short game. He and Ken have some real great putting matches and up and down contests. DJ and I are really lucky to have Ken and Jack as our putting and short game coaches. My plan is that soon we will shoot a putting and short game video series featuring, Don, DJ, Ken and Jack. Between us four we will have a boatload of instruction, tips and drills galore to help improve your putting, chipping, pitching and sand game.
Ken knows putting and short game and has 40 plus years of quality playing experience and knowledge. I felt he has good advice on setup and stroke technique that should be shared and passed on to all of you. So, I asked Ken to write something on putting and here it is for his debut article.
THE SHORT GAME & PUTTING GRIP
The perfect grip does exist for all facets of the golf game, and of course there are numerous grips that can be used, both in the long and the short game. Most teaching professionals advocate that the grip is the most important and fundamental part of the golf game. Some teachers also recommend that a different grip should be used exclusively for putting and chipping. We believe the grip should stay consistent with all clubs being used. Why should you change grips when you are hitting a driver versus a 5iron or a 9 iron or a chip shot or even putting. That seems like a lot of things to remember when it comes to the grip only. Never mind the other hundreds of things that have to be acquired to hit the golf shot accurately, consistently and, of course, long. Here is a quote from a renowned teaching professional (Note: need name of pro. Seeing the word 'thus,' I would guess it is Donald. Nobody uses the word 'thus' any more '¦):
'For the power game ' driving, long irons, and all other full swing shots, most golfers should take a strong grip, with the V's formed by the thumb and forefinger of both hands pointing between the chin and the right shoulder (for right handed players, reverse for left handers). From this position, the hands and forearms have a better chance of releasing through impact, thus returning to the square position at impact. Therefore the back of the left hand is perpendicular to the target line'.
There are many teachers who recommend that when accuracy rather than distance is involved, a neutral to weak grip is recommended. Suppossidly the hands will return to a neutral position at impact without adding unwanted power. They also advocate that the grip for putting is similar to that for the short game, in that the hands must remain quiet and in a square position, which means they are both parallel to each other and to the clubface. You can use overlap, interlock or even baseball grip. The quote that, 'Exactly how you grip the club in not as important as making sure that the hands mirror the position of the face,' is absolutely correct.
PPGS suggests that, as a bold statement, try using the same grip for all shots, from the driver to the putter and concentrate more on alignment, and setup and other key fundamentals of the golf swing.
We advocate using the same grip for all clubs, granted of course you will probably tend to grip the club firmer, for instance, hitting the driver compared to the 2 foot putt. But the point is, use the same grip for all shots to help you in all facets of your golf game.
Ken Trahan ('Uncle Kenny'), PPGS Teaching Staff